Ewhayeong: "Dismissal of Lawyer Not My Intention"... Wife Says, "Get a Grip"

Judge: "Please Coordinate Quickly"

Regarding the allegations of illegal remittances to North Korea involving Ssangbangwool Group, Lee Hwa-young, former Deputy Governor for Peace of Gyeonggi Province, who recently reversed part of his stance, stated that the submission of the dismissal notice of his spouse's legal team was not his intention.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 25th, the 11th Criminal Division of Suwon District Court (Presiding Judge Shin Jin-woo) held the 41st trial of Lee, who was indicted on charges including violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act.

Lee stated regarding the 'Dismissal Notice of Law Firm Haegwang' submitted to the court by his wife, Ms. A, the day before, "I am incarcerated, so I do not know the details and did not hear about it until I entered the courtroom," adding, "I think my wife is misunderstanding. It is not my intention." Under current law, dismissal of a lawyer without the consent of the party, Lee in this case, has no effect.

The court suspended the morning session as the lawyer did not appear and rescheduled the questioning for 2 p.m. the same day. The court requested Lee, saying, "Unless you directly express your intention to dismiss your legal team, the lawyers retain their status," and "Please coordinate your dismissal opinion promptly."

Ms. A, who attended the hearing that day, shouted at Lee, "You should not say that." She obtained formal speaking rights and urged the dismissal of the legal team, saying, "Haegwang are the ones I contracted and appointed."

She also said, "I will file a civil lawsuit against the lawyers for defending in a way contrary to the position of me and my family," and "If you decide to withdraw the dismissal, as a family member, I will give up the rights and duties to support you. There will be no help whatsoever." She added, "I do not understand why you say you did something you did not do," and "I think he does not even realize he is being coerced by the prosecution. It is really frustrating. He needs to come to his senses."

Earlier, Ms. A sent a petition to the Democratic Party of Korea, raising doubts about Lee’s recent changed statements, saying, "My husband is isolated and under psychological pressure."

Ms. A’s side reiterated their intention to dismiss the legal team that day, stating, "The lawyer’s words are essentially those of defendant Lee Hwa-young," and "The partial admission of charges by the lawyer, which differs from the prison letter where he stated he did not commit the acts, is not true. For the sake of my family and his honor, it seems difficult to continue proper defense."

The allegations of Ssangbangwool Group’s illegal remittances to North Korea involve former Chairman Kim allegedly handing over $5 million for North Korea’s smart farm project and $3 million for the then Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung’s visit to North Korea to North Korean officials on behalf of Gyeonggi Province in 2019. Kim claims he pursued the remittance to North Korea in consultation with Lee Hwa-young.

Lee recently changed part of his position during prosecution investigation, stating that he asked Ssangbangwool to attempt a visit to North Korea. After reports about his reversal on the 18th spread, Lee issued a handwritten letter from prison three days later, stating, "I told former Chairman Kim that it would be good to pay attention to Governor Lee’s visit to North Korea. The reports that I requested Ssangbangwool to cover the visit expenses are not true."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.